


Here, Here, and Here

by EMMegs



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Future Fic, Long One Shot, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2287619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EMMegs/pseuds/EMMegs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'It's my unfortunate privilege to inform you that you, Kyoya Ohtori, have officially been disowned by one Yoshio Ohtori.' He'd been disowned by his father for refusing a marriage because he'd known who he wanted since high school. And now, he didn't even have her. But maybe, just maybe that would change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here, Here, and Here

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own these characters but this idea is mine. Originally posted on FF.net. Loosely based on the song Here, Here, and Here by Meg & Dia. Another secondary disclaimer: I actually know nothing about corporate law. And for that matter the Japanese legal system.

He'd been through a lot through the years. But now, sitting here reading this email from his father's lawyer - his father wouldn't even email him concerning silly things like this, if he could call him his father at all anymore - he felt as though it was all for nothing.

_'It's my unfortunate privilege to inform you that you, Kyoya Ohtori, have officially been disowned by one Yoshio Ohtori. You are not to have any contact with him, or the rest of his family, nor carry his name any longer. Ohtori-san requests that you seek an official name change immediately as to remove confusion as to your similarity in family name and also wishes you the best of luck. Your linked bank accounts have been terminated and residence at the Ohtori estate removed. Please sign the attached form agreeing to the terms and fax it to me._

_-Atty Harata Yamiguchi'_

Just like that, reduced to commoner status. He felt his hand clench into a fist. It was all because he'd refused to marry the nuisance of a woman his father had ordered him to. And refused to do much of anything his father had wanted him to do for the sake of business. He'd finished with being the obedient third son who did as he was told but never ever got to shine in the spotlight. He was finished with his father judging his every move like a wolf watching a lamb. He was done with being oppressed, he'd never belonged in that tiny picture frame anyway. He'd been the child that his father had never wanted but his mother had loved more than anything in the world.

He ran a hand over his face. He'd known this was going to happen eventually. But it still shocked him now that it finally had. Thankfully, he wasn't completely without money or a job. He'd drained a good portion of the account that had been linked to his father's to another one and added to it gradually from the money his small growing business was gathering.

He'd been disowned by his father for refusing a marriage because he'd known who he wanted since high school. And now, he didn't even have her. He picked up his cellphone a bit heavily - the one that he'd paid for with his own money since he was 12. He didn't have the energy to call Tamaki and the other hosts and tell all of them what had happened, so he just texted it instead, deciding to ignore any texts that he received back.

_'It happened. My name is no longer Ohtori.'_

He put the phone on silent, but still saw the screen light up from his bed with the messages from the only family he had left. He'd sign the papers from the lawyer later. For now he just wanted to sleep.

~o~

Kyoya had realized some time ago that as bad as being the third son of a rich and powerful family was, his life would still seem perfect to anyone else. He had nearly impeccable health except for the one week when he was 12 that he'd caught pneumonia. He had anything he could ever want or need. He definitely had the basics, which couldn't be said for a good population of the world. And, he had his friends - even as a 26-year-old man he still had his high school friends.

Other people would have killed to have that.

And now as he woke up the next morning he also realized that as much as he'd managed to keep in his recent disownment, he still didn't have quite enough to pay the 320,700 yen mortgage on his house and still pay for the basics. He kept his eyes closed, hoping that it was just a dream and when he opened them, nothing would be different.

He opened his eyes and she was there. He didn't know when or how she'd gotten in his house but she was there. Sitting next to his bed with a book in hand. Her out of all the hosts. Of course, it made some sense. She was the only one left in Japan besides himself.

But it still surprised him to see her sitting in his bedroom after nearly three years with bare minimum contact. "How the hell did you get in here?" he growled, normal demonic morning aura coming out.

She shrugged. "Tamaki told me where the extra key was at his dad's place." He felt his heart drop. So the idiot had told her to come. She hadn't decided on her own. That somehow just made him bitter. That what his idiot 'best friend' asked her to do still weighed so heavily in her that she did it without a thought.

"What're you doing here?" he muttered, rolling out of bed in nothing but the boxers he'd fallen asleep in without the slightest bit of embarrassment. A light blush fluttered on her cheeks as she looked away. He smirked in spite of himself.

"I got your text this morning," she mumbled, keeping her eyes averted, "Figured you'd need someone with you while you're getting used to it, or help or something." She drew a breath when she paused. "And Tamaki might have called me this morning since you weren't answering his texts or calls." He snorted from where he now stood near his closet. That idiot.

"Who said I needed help?" he grumbled to himself, despite knowing that unless he managed to make 350,000 yen in a month, he'd be foreclosed on by the next month. He might just want to sell the place and rent an apartment somewhere, now that he seriously thought about.

"Sempai... You just went from rich tycoon to commoner in one night." He tugged a casual dark blue button up from his closet and pushed his arms in the sleeves, still not paying any attention to his own modesty while in front of Haruhi. He strode to his dresser. The woman allowed herself to turn her eyes back to him now that he had a shirt on. "You can't say that you aren't shocked."

"I never said I wasn't. But you have to realize that I knew this was going to happen for some time now. I prepared the best I could. I just didn't think that refusing to marry Rei Mariyama was going to be the deciding factor." He rifled through his drawers, scowling when he couldn't find his favorite pair of pants. He neglected to mention that he barely had enough to live on while still living in this possibly-over-extravagant house.

"How much money do you currently have in the bank, Sempai?"

"I didn't think that was any of your business, Haruhi," he retorted.

"Will you start using your ears and listen to me?" she demanded, hands on her hips and a scowl crossing her face. He looked over to her, surprised at her attitude. It had to be the first time he'd actually really looked at her in nearly 3 years. She'd changed. The boyish figure she'd once had, had filled out, transforming her into an actual woman. Though she still kept her hair short, it still suited her. Her caramel eyes still had the ability to look straight through him. She wore a pair of black slacks and a rather nice light purple blouse that hugged her. Her lips started moving again as more words came from her mouth. "How much is the rent on this place anyway?"

"Mortgage is 320,700 a month." Her eyes bulged.

"Isn't that... a little much?"

"Not when you're rich." He shot her a sarcastic smile.

"How much money do you have right now?"

He swallowed. He knew she was trying to help him, but he really didn't want to admit to her that he might not be able to do it by himself. That he didn't have quite enough to pay for everything in his lifestyle. Then again, if he told her maybe he'd finally get what he wanted. He looked back toward his dresser, resuming the search for his pants while thinking. Finally, as he tugged the pair of black pants from his drawer, he stated his total worth, "400,000 yen. Total income for the company at the moment is about 214,000 a month." It sounded worse than it was when it was coming from his mouth.

"You'll be out on the streets by next month," she said softly.

"I know that," he snapped. "I'm taking care of it." He pulled his pants on effortlessly, trying to control his frustration at that moment. "I don't need any help, Haruhi."

"Yes you do. You can't live like this anymore, Sempai. You can't afford it. You either need to sell this house and get an apartment or find a housemate or two."

He allowed himself to chuckle darkly. "Don't you tell me what I need to do. Unless of course you're volunteering to be the housemate. I'm not letting a stranger live with me and I was planning to live in this house for quite a while considering I bought it 5 years ago." He turned and stared her in the eye. She stared right back, the surprise in her eyes at his proposal quite apparent. The house was a practically brand new three bedroom, two bathroom two story condo. "You move in with me, we split the mortgage, I keep my house and you get the satisfaction that you helped me out." It sounded bitter even to him.

Surprisingly when she answered it wasn't what he'd been expecting. "Alright. 160,350 a month each. I'll even pay the water bill if you'll pay electricity."

"Deal." He stuck out his hand. She pumped it once.

"Dad and I'll bring our things over later today." He frowned. That didn't sound quite right. "I still live with my Dad, Kyoya-sempai. He comes with me. And the rent agreement on our apartment is up so we're supposed to be out of there by next week anyway. Really, you're doing us a favor."

"Technically it'll be 106,900 each then," he murmured, "If we're splitting it three ways."

"Technically," she replied softly. "Dad's going to be thrilled. You were always his favorite." She shot a smile at him while he nodded. She started to turn to the door. "I'll be back later." She waved behind her.

"Haruhi," he called after her. She turned. "Thank you." She smiled and nodded at him. He smirked to himself once she'd left. Maybe this entire disownment thing wasn't so terrible. Especially if he was on the track to get the one thing he'd always wanted.

~o~

Kyoya had just finished answering all of his emails and texts when he heard the front door open. He frowned slightly at being interrupted in the middle of his work but decided it would be better if he helped Haruhi and Ranka move in. He folded the top of his laptop down with a click and exited his office. "Oh Kyoya-kun~!" Ranka exclaimed upon seeing him, "It's so nice of you to allow us to live with you!"

"It's a pleasure really, Ranka-san," Kyoya replied, easily slipping into his old host routine with the eccentric older man. "Unfortunately, I need the help as well." He glanced at Haruhi, who smiled a bit at his admittance. Ranka looked between them for a moment then decided to slip off. "Do you need help?" he asked.

"It would be nice," Haruhi mumbled, "We only brought the basics for now - futons, a few changes of clothes, toiletries, etc. Basically, what we could carry on the bus."

"You could borrow my car for the rest if you need it." The girl seemed suspicious for a moment then decided to take the offer with a sharp nod. "I'll drive it over sometime this week when I'm not too busy." She nodded again then started to carry her folded futon and suitcase off in the direction of her father's lost voice.

"Where are our rooms?" the red head called.

"Ah. Haruhi's is across the hall from mine, Ranka-san's is at the end of the hall on the left. The bedrooms all have to share a bathroom, I'm afraid but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's on the left between mine and Ranka-san's bedroom. The other bathroom is downstairs second door to the right of the kitchen." The ex-Ohtori strode after them, helping Haruhi put all her things in the right order.

She smiled at him once again and murmured, "Thanks." He nodded his head in quiet acknowledgment of her gratitude as they lapsed into silence. Then he heard music coming from the open door across the hall and sighed. It was his phone. He decided it would be alright to ignore it for now, since it was most likely just Tamaki calling to bug him again even though he'd already answered all of his questions concerning everything situation wise. However, when it went off again he sighed and picked himself up off the floor.

He scooped the phone off his nightstand and spoke into it with a snap, "Kyoya Ohtori speaking."

"Hello Ohtori-san." He didn't recognize the voice.

"Who's this?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes in concentration while trying to pinpoint who the voice belonged to.

"Harata Yamiguchi. Your father's lawyer."

"Christ," Kyoya grumbled, "What do you want? I'll sign your papers soon." He didn't mention about helping Haruhi and Ranka move in just in case the lawyer would tell his 'father.' He felt something inside of him fill with dread even thinking about why Harata could possibly be calling him.

"I'm not calling about papers. I'm sure that you'll finish with them soon enough. However, I'm calling about another matter entirely."

"And that would be?"

"Your father is suing you. You are expected in court at 2 in the afternoon on Saturday."

He was quiet for a moment as he digested this new bit of information. "Wait... What the hell for?"

"Embezzlement."

"How can I embezzle when I'm not part of his family or company?"

"We're talking prior to your disownment." Kyoya was just confused now. And that confusion he felt frustrated him. He couldn't think of a single thing that he'd ever done that could possibly be seen as embezzlement.

"I believe you'll need to be in contact with  _my_ lawyer from now on Yamiguchi-san."

"Alright then. What should I refer to you as then since you're technically no longer 'Ohtori-san'."

Kyoya thought a moment. "Okawari. Kyoya Okawari. I'll be changing my name officially in a few days." He smirked to himself as the lawyer sighed and bid him farewell. That would probably get on his father's nerves. There was no way that using his ex-wife's maiden name wouldn't at least grate him like cheese.

"Where'd you get the name Okawari?" a soft voice came from the doorway. He turned, phone still in his hand.

The smirk grew a bit. "It's my mother's maiden name. So technically, it legally could be my name." He sighed under his breath, wondering whether to tell her about his conversation. Surely, she'd want to help. And it wasn't that he didn't want  _her_ to be his lawyer, it was that he didn't want her to see him any weaker than she already had. And yet, he found it was it probably easier to tell her now than to let her find out later when he was in court.

"What happened to your mother?" she asked quietly before he could come to a proper decision.

He, startled, replied quickly with, "She left." He didn't elaborate for a few moments until she opened her mouth to ask. "She left my father about 12 years ago. I haven't seen her since. But I hope I do."

"I'm sorry." The thing he hated about that statement, especially coming from her, was that it was sincere. She was completely sincere when she said she was sorry, even if none of it was any of her fault.

Finally, he made his decision after a few more minutes of forethought. "My father's... suing me. For embezzlement. And most likely for everything I'm worth. Why he can't just leave me alone in my disownment with what little I have left, I don't know," he murmured, "If you're willing, I'd like for you to be my lawyer."

Haruhi stared at him for the longest time with her all-seeing eyes before nodding, accepting it easily. "Of course." He nodded his thanks. "I'll prepare a case file as soon as possible. When are you supposed to be in court?"

"Saturday."

She faltered a moment, shutting her eyes. "That's... in 3 days."

"I know."

Haruhi sighed. "I'll get started right now then."

"Thank you."

"It's not a problem, Kyoya-sempai."

"It's Kyoya."

"Eh?"

"Just Kyoya, Haruhi. We are living together after all. There's no reason to call me sempai when we're not in school anymore."

"Alright then." She shrugged. And for some reason it bothered him that she just shrugged off a simple thing like that. It meant something to him for her to not call him sempai anymore. Because the title 'sempai' separated them into two groups that weren't allowed to get close to each other. It separated them even though they were on the same social level now. And that realization bothered him even more.

~o~

"All rise."

Kyoya stood with Haruhi in one of his nicest suits. Haruhi wore a business suit of her own with a knee-length skirt, her longer hair pulled back in a clip. It had taken him all his self-control not to stare at her for an inappropriate amount of time when he'd first seen her. She was professional in the suit, yes, but also completely distractingly gorgeous. He glanced across the aisle at his father's sharp, completely business-like face next to Harata. Who knew how much his father would pay the man if he won this case.

The judge entered, a medium-height thin old-aged man with pure white hair everywhere that hadn't already gone bald. Kyoya noticed Haruhi draw in a deep breath out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help smirking. Apparently, even with all her confidence in her law abilities, she still got nervous from time to time. The old man made a motion with his hand and Haruhi launched into movement while gently placing a hand on Kyoya's shoulder and pushing him back into his seat. Yoshio sat as well. "Sir, I'd like to get this case dismissed right now. The idea that Kyoya Okawari, formerly Ohtori, could embezzle from a company he no longer belongs to is preposterous."

Harata replied to the comment immediately. "He did so before his disownment. That's where it's relevant. Okawari-san took Ohtori-san's money straight from his bank account and used it to start his own business to rival the Ohtori Corporation."

"Okawari-san's bank account was linked to Ohtori-san's, that doesn't, however, mean that he had access to the main account. What money Ohtori-san placed in Okawari's account was meant for his son to use at his own discern. What he did with it was his business not his father's. If Ohtori-san didn't want Kyoya using the money then he shouldn't have given it to him in the first place." Haruhi's tongue was sharp and Kyoya almost smirked.

"Ohtori-san never expected that his son would drain a good portion of said account into another. He was preparing for his disownment. He would definitely need the money."

"He  _was_ preparing for his disownment, which is why saving up money that he was rightfully given was a smart move. If anything, Ohtori-san took money that was rightfully Okawari-san's when he terminated his bank account, transferring all money back to himself." Yoshio stiffened at this comment.

"There's still the issue that Okawari used his father's money to create his own business - without his father's approval."

"If anything, I'd think that Ohtori-san would be proud of his son for using a small amount of money to build a business that could earn him his own money. Therefore, getting rid of any need for dependence on his father's income."

Harata faltered a moment, not quite having a rebuttal for that.

"Kyoya," she now turned to him and asked a question, "How much was the sum of money that you borrowed from your father to start your business?"

"374,150 yen," Kyoya replied softly.

"Exactly. A significantly small amount compared to Ohtori's vast fortune. But if you insist that it's that much, I'm sure that he'd be happy to return the amount he borrowed within the next week, wouldn't you, Kyoya?" He nodded in response.

Both Harata and Yoshio were stone silent. Yoshio's jaw was tense. Much more tense than it had been when they started.  _'Good,'_ Kyoya thought,  _'Make him nervous. Make him shake.'_ And then the second thought, that he suppressed so that it barely spoke at all in his mind.  _'Haruhi's amazing...'_

"I would think," Harata finally said, "That because Ohtori-san's money was used as the founding of Okawari-san's business, that a portion of the money made off of it would also belong to him."

Kyoya's blood went cold. No. That couldn't happen. It couldn't be valid. Because if it was, it would mean that they would lose. Because then it would mean that the entire business would belong to his father, not him. It would be his father's because all the money he'd used to found it had technically been his father's. He glanced at Haruhi's face and waited for her to say something. She merely chuckled. "As I said before, Yamiguchi-san, Ohtori-san placed that money in his son's bank account for his son to use. If he used that money to create his own business, then there's no reason for any portion of the money made to belong to Ohtori-san."

Harata went silent again. When he opened his mouth to speak again, the judge cut off the thought, speaking for the first time the entire time in a rasping voice that Kyoya would have expected to have come from him. "I think that Fujioka-san makes a valid case. However, I do think that Okawari-san should return the money used to found his company, as Fujioka suggested."

Haruhi smiled triumphantly. "It will be done, sir."

"Good. Case dismissed then."

Kyoya felt a glare from his father hot on his neck but ignored it in favor of staring at Haruhi and tapping her gently on the head. "That mind of yours is brilliant," he murmured gently, smiling a genuine smile of gratitude. She returned the smile with a warm one of her own. He meant it too. She was brilliant. And in his opinion, that brilliance was just one of the things that made her such a great person. And then he caught his father's gaze and the only thing he saw there was the promise that this wasn't over yet.

Because his father was a man of action and didn't take defeat easily. No, Yoshio Ohtori wouldn't rest until his disowned son was moneyless and on the streets.

~o~

He hated relying on Haruhi for the next month for his meals. But paying his father 375,000 yen wiped out everything in his bank account besides 25,000 yen. Tamaki or any of the hosts would have helped if he'd asked for it, but that was the point. He couldn't ask them for money. His pride would not let him. It was bad enough that every time he was just starting to think that he was hungry, Haruhi would bring him a delicious home-made meal as though she'd read his mind. As though she knew that he needed the assistance. She even took it upon herself to pay half of his portion of the mortgage when he couldn't pay the entire thing.

"I don't want you paying for me," he'd strictly told her.

"But isn't that what friends are for, Kyoya?" she'd replied with a small smirk.

 _Friends_. That's what they were. And it was something that Kyoya had to remind himself of all the time. They were friends that lived together, nothing more. She had Tamaki. He had himself. That was the way it had been in high school and it was still the way it was now. It was just coincidence that he now had to rely so heavily on her.

And then he got an unexpected call. The second one, it seemed, in a series. The phone had rung while he and Haruhi had been in the middle of making dinner together. He'd chuckled at her words as he picked up his cell phone off the far counter. "Moshi Moshi."

"… Kyoya?" He froze, recognition of the voice coming from somewhere in his childhood. A lullaby from far away and a sadness in his heart. "I know it's been a long time... But you do you know who I am?"

His throat suddenly felt very constricted. So much that he felt if he tried to breathe he wouldn't be able to. "M-Mother?" he finally managed to choke out. He heard a clatter as Haruhi dropped a pot and turned to stare at him.

"Yes... Kyoya it's me. I heard that Yoshio disowned you...?"

"That... would be correct," he replied stiffly. He kept his eyes fixed on Haruhi's shocked ones just to be sure that he wasn't dreaming. After twelve years, his mother was finally making contact with him again? It was too good to be true.

"You have no idea how many times I tried to contact you... But every time I tried, your father blocked my way. He went as far as to get a restraining order against me so I couldn't contact any of you."

"I thought you just left. You got tired of Father's bullshit and you left." He felt some unknown emotion boiling in his gut. For all these years he'd thought she was dead. And now she just appeared back into his life. Mayumi Okawari, his mother. He'd hated her when she'd left, thinking that she'd been lying to him about loving him for the 14 years he'd been alive. His father had said she was insane and to not take anything she'd ever said to heart. His father had turned him and his siblings against her. But Kyoya had decided to turn against his father, and that's how he was here.

"I did... But that didn't mean that I didn't want to be with you. That didn't mean I didn't love you, sweetie." Haruhi still stared at him intensely, like she was trying to read his mind. He kept his gaze trained on her.

"What does she want?" Haruhi whispered to him. He shrugged, trying to hide how much this new contact with his mother was affecting him.

"Why did you call, Mother?" he asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Because I wanted to talk to you again. Actually... I wanted to see you again too... If that's alright of course."

He thought for a moment. But all rationality was cut off as anger from when he was a teenager flared up. "No," he stated, "No that's not alright. You can't just disappear for 12 years and expect everything to be fine when you come back. You can't expect for things to lift off where they were left. I thought you were dead for 12 years. It's not alright for you to just show up again." Haruhi's eyes widened in shock as the words came tumbling out of his mouth. He heard his mother choke up with a sob. "Goodbye, Mother." He pushed the end button on the call before she could answer, tossing the phone on the counter with a clatter and yanking on his glasses and throwing them toward the counter as well. He pressed his palms into his eyes, as if that would rid him of the memories burned into the back of his eyelids. He felt a hand land on his shoulder after a moment and withdrew his hands to look into Haruhi's concerned eyes. She didn't say anything, and he currently was thankful for that as he pulled her close, clinging to her in a moment of weakness. She squeaked a bit in surprise but didn't protest as she squeezed him tight, arms wrapped around his waist.

"Don't you think you should give her a chance?" she asked softly when they finally withdrew from each other.

He shook his head stubbornly. "No. That would be asking for heart break all over again."

"But, Kyoya... She gave birth to you... If it weren't for her... You wouldn't be here right now."

" _She_  left  _me,_ Haruhi! I was 14 when she left! If she couldn't contact me before now she wasn't really trying!"

Haruhi stared at him with a mix sadness and disappointment. "I know that if I was given the chance to see my mother again... I'd do it. Especially if I thought she was dead and then she wasn't." She turned back to her cooking with that said as his eyes burned a hole in the back of his head. "You can go work in the living room. I'll finish dinner and bring it to you."

He felt as though he'd just done something to batter their relationship as he turned and did as he was told. She'd just kicked him out of the kitchen in his own house, and yet the shock over his mother's call caused him to not care. His and Haruhi's friendly relationship could take hits without being destroyed. That was just the way things went. This wasn't going to be any different. Yet, something she'd said about mothers and death nagged at him until he realized what it was.

She'd said it because her mother  _was_ dead. And there was no way that she would be able to see her ever again.

~o~

Fuyumi visited him several days later when he wasn't home. "Oh! Haruhi-chan! I didn't know that you moved in with Kyoya!" she'd exclaimed when Haruhi opened the door. The brunette didn't know quite what to say, though she could guess what was going through the older woman's mind.

"Err... Yes. My father and I moved in about a week ago. Kyoya was gracious enough to let us live with him when our rent agreement expired." She moved aside to let her housemate's sister in. "Kyoya's... actually not home at the moment. I think he ran to his office for something."

"That's fine. I can wait here for him."

This woman was so cheery all the time. So much in fact that Haruhi found it hard to believe that she and Kyoya could be related. "Do you want tea or something?"

"Tea would be wonderful!" Haruhi sighed under her breath and set to work putting the kettle on and preparing tea in the kitchen. When she emerged with some teacups and a pot of tea, Fuyumi didn't hesitate to begin her questioning. "How's my little brother been?"

"He's... struggling. But it will take some getting used to. He's no used to this way of life, after all. And since your father took a good portion of the money he had saved up, it's not surprising that it's hard for him to make ends meet right now. I paid half of his part of the mortgage this month."

"Haruhi-chan... Doesn't that hurt you as well?"

"Not particularly. I make about 250,000 yen a month. 160,000 isn't a problem. Especially since Kyoya's trying to get his business running smoothly. He needs all the money that he has currently to do that. Eventually, he'll be able to get along just fine by himself and he won't need me." A touch of a sad frown came to her lips as this thought hit her.

Fuyumi noticed it. "Does the idea that he won't need you bother you, Haruhi-chan?" she asked softly. Haruhi shook her head.

"He tries to insist that he doesn't need my help anyway," she mumbled, sipping her tea and lapsing into silence. Fuyumi didn't take the question any further. Haruhi contemplated whether to mention the phone call from their mother to the older woman. She half wondered if Fuyumi had ever been contacted. "Has... your mother ever contacted you since she left?" she finally decided to ask quietly, avoiding the slightly shocked eyes of Fuyumi Shido.

"She... tried. But no contact ever got through. Did she call Kyoya?" Haruhi nodded numbly. "How did he react?"

"He was... shocked... And then angry. He insists that he doesn't want to see her. That he doesn't care about her. But I could tell he was unsure about it and broken up." She fell silent as she heard the front door open. "Don't mention anything about it, please," she whispered hurriedly right before Kyoya entered the room. He stopped when he saw his sister and his housemate sitting close. Haruhi drew back immediately as Kyoya narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"What's going on here?" he asked, shrugging off his coat and hanging it in the closet by the door carefully. Haruhi suddenly felt guilty as his eyes burned into her.

"I just came to visit. When you weren't here, Haruhi-chan graciously kept me company until you got back."

"You aren't supposed to be here, Fuyumi." The brunette felt a strange amount of shock at the coldness in his voice. "Father would have your head if he knew you were here. And he'd try to find some way to bring it back to being my fault so he could take  _more_ of what's mine."

"Kyoya," Haruhi murmured, feeling lost and not really knowing what she should say.

"And you should've known better!" he said, turning on her now. "I'm not supposed to see anyone in my former family or be connected to them at all. I'm not an Ohtori anymore. That's what disownment means." He turned back to Fuyumi. "I'd ask you to leave now, Fuyumi."

Fuyumi had tears in her eyes as she stood. She stopped in front of her little brother though. "I never thought that being disowned would turn you into Father, Kyoya," she whispered, looking at him in an obscene amount of disappointment. "You need to see her. When you do, you'll realize how much you missed her. She called me too after I got married and I felt the same way until I actually saw her. She waited 12 years for you to be free from Father's clutches just so she could see you, so just go see her. I don't want to hear her cry again." With that, she left.

Kyoya stood, frozen for a moment and then he looked straight at Haruhi and whispered, "You told her?" She nodded, not knowing what else to say or do. He was angry, quite obviously. And that made him think irrationally. He didn't say anything else, just walked away from her. Haruhi felt empty and guilty. And both these feelings filled her up and overwhelmed her until later that night.

There was a thunderstorm. And her father wasn't home. That left only one option besides hiding under her bed like a baby. Go to Kyoya. She entered his bedroom, flinching as a particularly loud clap of thunder sounded over the house. She whimpered, bringing his attention from the computer in his lap to her cowering with her hands over her ears. He stared at her for a moment then muttered, "Really? You're still afraid of thunder?"

She hated how condescending he could sound sometimes. Like now. When he was mocking her for her genuine fear of the flashes of light and angry bursts of sound. "I always have been..."

"I would have thought you'd have grown out of it though."

She shivered in her thin nightgown and jumped with another thunderclap. It was surprisingly cold for the time of the year. Kyoya stared at her. Finally, he shut his laptop and set it aside, climbing out of bed to walk over to her. "I didn't mean to upset you when I told Fuyumi," she blurted, more scared of the thunder than she was of Kyoya and this subject. His face clouded darkly. "She's right though. You should see her."

"Why?"

"Because she cares about you." Thunder caused her to take a leaping step closer to him. She shut her eyes and fought back the cry building in her throat. All she saw was rain on a window on the inside of her eyelids and the shadow of a woman walking outside toward the apartment. Kyoya snorted somewhere distantly. A flash of lightening lit up the outside world, showing the silhouette of the woman even more clearly along with another one. Darkness fell again, leaving nothing to sight but vague outlines of two people. A gunshot was hidden in the sound of thunder. Another flash of lightening held the body of the woman on the ground, half submerged in a puddle of water, the other figure fleeing. Haruhi shut her eyes tighter, trying to banish the memory. Kyoya was talking but she couldn't hear him, blurtingly interrupting him with, "My mother was murdered during a thunderstorm outside my apartment when I was 5. It's my first clear memory of anything and my last memory of her. If I had the chance to see her again, I'd take it, but I don't."

He stared at her. A flash of lightening that wasn't quite muffled by the curtains lit up the room enough to cause tears to fall from her eyes. She felt a pair of arms around her seconds later. She sobbed and clung to him. "I'll go see her," he murmured into her hair, "But only if you go with me." She nodded furiously, trying to bury her memories in her head just as well as she buried her face in his chest.

~o~

Kyoya woke up the next morning to the stirring of his female companion. It took him a moment to realize that they'd both fallen asleep while he held her to keep her fright at bay. His eyes squinting to see through the slight gloom in his room to where Haruhi sat on the edge of his bed stretching. "How can you stand to be up this early?" he grumbled, sparing a glance at the clock while smirking with amusement as she jumped in surprise.  _7:23_.

"Practice," she muttered, "And the ability to  _not_ be a complete monster in the morning. Besides, I have work at 8:30." Kyoya snorted and rolled over, fully intending to go back to sleep until her voice spoke again. "When are we going to see your mother?" His body stiffened. He had hoped that she would forget about that. His fist clenched tightly underneath the covers and out of her sightline.

"I haven't called her to ask."

"Kyoya," Haruhi said firmly, the motherly tone that Kyoya was sure had scared the twins into submission countless times in high school jumped at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Just keep lunch open. I'm sure that is she has been waiting this entire time to see me, then she will be more than happy to clear her schedule to have lunch with us." She nodded once sharply and turned again to leave the room. He continued in his attempting to sleep. After several minutes of staring at the empty pillow next to him and feeling the fading warmth that Haruhi had created by being there it became apparent that he wasn't going to sleep any more. He reluctantly crawled out of his bed and started getting ready for his day. His phone rang just as he was buckling his belt. He flipped it open, balancing it on his shoulder while he finished arranging his clothing.

"Is Haruhi okay?!" Tamaki's frantic voice screamed in his ear, "I just checked the weather report from last night! She isn't dead is she?"

Kyoya scowled. That moron. "Even if she wasn't alright, I doubt that she'd die from that silly fear of hers," he stated, point-blank. He slipped his work shoes on and strode toward the door, taking a right in the direction of the stairs. Tamaki kept blabbering on about how his poor Haruhi must have been so frightened without him there to protect her from the scary storm. "Tamaki, if it's any consolation to you at all, I stayed with her through the entire night."

The blonde was silent for a moment then he exploded again, causing Kyoya to pull his phone away from his ear in surprise. "YOU SLEPT WITH HER?"

He groaned under his breath. It was way too early without coffee for him to be dealing with this eccentric man who happened to be the one person that had kept him from pursuing Haruhi all of these years. "Tamaki. Shut up," he growled. "She slept in my bed but that doesn't in the slightest mean anything of what you're thinking. She was frightened. I comforted her. It's still strange how your mind automatically comes up with the dirtiest situation about me even when what I said didn't insinuate anything even remotely close." He entered the kitchen where Haruhi seemed startled to see him awake.

"Coffee on the counter," she stated quietly, sneaking around behind him with a small plate of food to sit at the dining room table. "And eggs on the stove if you want some. Needed to use the last of them."

"Thanks Haruhi," he said softly, covering the mouthpiece of his phone with his hand briefly to thank her. He poured himself a cup of coffee while she nodded.

"Did she make you breakfast?" Kyoya nearly cursed himself for the blonde's keen hearing even through the phone thousands of miles away in France.

"I don't know why that's relevant at the current time."

"NOT FAIR!" he whined childishly into his best friend's ear. "I WANT SOME OF HARUHI'S COOKING TOO."

"Well, Tamaki. Unfortunately they haven't created a mailing system that can transport perishables yet so you'll just have to deal with it." His mood was quickly darkening due to this idiot. Haruhi, seeming to sense the incoming doom should they continue talking on the phone, snatched it from him. The move earned her a glare but saved Tamaki from further heartbreak as she calmed him and hung up the phone for Kyoya. He glowered at her as he took his phone back.

"Call your mother," she ordered with a pointed look. He sighed under his breath and scrolled through his list of recent calls to the one a week and a half ago. There was no use arguing with a determined Haruhi. She was a lawyer. She made her living off arguing.

~o~

Kyoya's insides were turning themselves inside out with apprehension for this meeting. He hadn't seen this woman for 12 years, surely she'd changed. He carefully made sure that he kept his face composed so the woman standing next to him wouldn't see his nervousness. He pushed his glasses up her nose as they slipped. The movement caught her eye. "Don't be nervous. She's your mother. It's not like anything bad can happen," Haruhi murmured, reaching over and squeezing his hand gently. He almost smiled because of that but held it back somehow. "Seriously."

The bell to the door of the small café they were sitting in rang shrilly to indicate the entrance of another customer. Kyoya didn't bother turning to look, letting Haruhi do it for him. "How am I going to know when your mom walks in if I've never met her?" Haruhi grumbled, swatting him in the arm for not looking himself.

"I think you'll know."

Another jingle. He didn't turn this time either just ducked his head and took another sip of his coffee. He was determined to show Haruhi that he didn't need his mother in his life. Haruhi gasped lightly. "I think that's her!" she murmured excitedly, shaking his arm. He rolled his eyes at her almost Tamaki-like antics and turned to look for himself. He shook his head.

"Nope... Not her unless she dyed her hair and got a nose job." Kyoya chuckled at her down-heartened expression. However, when said woman started walking toward them anyway, his stomach did a flip as he stood.

"Kyoya Ohtori?" she addressed.

"Okawari," he corrected quickly. He no longer wished to be associated with his father. Not after everything the man had done to him. The woman nodded sharply once, showing him a badge that told him she was a policewoman from the Tokyo department.

"I regret to inform you that your mother, Mayumi Okawari, was in a fatal car accident this morning and that is why she isn't here. She died an hour ago and wished for me to tell you as her final wish. Gomen Nasai." She bowed and turned to leave at once. Kyoya stared after her. For some reason his chest ached suddenly. His mind was numb and blood cold. Haruhi looked at him with a concerned intensity that almost made him shudder.

"Oh God. Kyoya, I'm so sorry," she whispered. He shook his head for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. He felt numb and empty inside, but that didn't mean he was going to show it. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine," he replied, even succeeding in keeping the edge out of his voice. "I'm perfectly fine... I told you... It's been 12 years so she was already practically dead to me anyway. This isn't much of a surprise." He stopped a moment and turned to pick up his coffee. "Let's go. I need to get you back to work." She nodded, eyes shining with concern as she patted him on the shoulder and gathered her own things.

When his sister called in the car he picked up his earpiece and slipped it on with one hand before he answered. "Yes, Fuyumi?"

"It's not true is it?" He faltered, hearing her on the edge of tears as he focused on the road. If Fuyumi started crying while talking to him, he wouldn't be able to take it. He knew what she was talking about, but still felt the need to ask. "Mom's not really dead, is she?" Kyoya remained quiet, giving her the only indication needed. A sob came from the woman's mouth. Haruhi glanced at his face just as his features wilted a bit with weariness. "How...? I just talked to her two hours ago... She was so excited to see you again that she called right after you said you'd meet her for lunch..."

His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter until his knuckles turned white. "A car accident," he stated quietly, "The police said she died in a car accident."

Haruhi sighed. "You're going to get us into an accident if you don't pull over," she muttered, eying his hands clenched over the wheel. He spared her a glance but paid no attention to her words.

"Come on over to my house, Fuyumi," he murmured into his phone, "I'll expect you there within the next hour." He ended the call without waiting for a reply and focused on driving in silence. When he came to a stop in front of Haruhi's office building she didn't get out just turned and looked at him. "Well?" he asked, "Go. You have work to do."

"Are you sure you're okay?" she mumbled, placing a hand hesitantly on his arm. He tensed at her touch.

"I told you, I'm fine," he snapped, his words coming out in a harsher manner than he intended. He looked away from her immediately. "Just... Go to work, Haruhi." She sighed and stayed another few moments before giving him a meaningful look and exiting the vehicle. He sat there staring at his hands on the steering wheel for a long time, ignoring the people driving and walking past him. He took a deep breath before speeding away from the curb.

The next call he got was from Tamaki. Even at four in the morning his time, he seemed wide awake. Worst of all he was even more concerned than Haruhi had been. "Kyoya! Haruhi told me! I'm so sorry!"

"Why does everyone keep apologizing for things that aren't their fault?" he growled, pulling into his garage. In his head he tried to decide what the best way to make sure Haruhi Fujioka and Tamaki Suoh never spoke to each other again. There was a moment where he seriously considered offing both of them to solve the problem. He cut off Tamaki before he could ask the inevitable question of his feelings on the matter of his mother's death. "I'm fine, Tamaki. You really didn't need to call."

"Don't lie to me, Mon Ami." Tamaki's voice was scolding as he talked to him.

"I'm not lying." He turned engine of his car off and collected his things to slide out. Fuyumi was somehow sitting in his house when he went inside. "Tamaki... I need to go." As normal, he didn't wait for his answer. The second he hung up he found himself being almost knocked over by his sister embracing him tightly. She'd always been the most emotional out of the four of them with Akito taking a close second. That wasn't to say that he had no emotions, he just didn't show them very well. Now though, he wrapped his arms around his sister and stood in his living room holding her while she sobbed into his chest.

~o~

When Haruhi got home she was surprised to find Kyoya sitting at his laptop in the living room surrounded by papers. Her father wasn't home yet either, not surprising at all considering his night shift at the bar. Kyoya looked slightly frazzled, to say the least. "Something wrong?" she asked. His head shot up, his heart speeding to a mile a minute in his surprise.

"Jesus, Haruhi," he muttered, taking off his glasses and pressing his palms into his eyes. She walked over hesitantly. "Fuyumi was here all day. Thus, I got no work done besides what I did before lunch." She didn't say anything about what had happened or try to reinstate her worry, something he was mildly glad for. "KOMI's stock sales plummeted while I wasn't looking. I've lost thousands already and it's still going."

She frowned. "Could it have anything to do with your father?"

"I thought about that. For some reason, it seems entirely too coincidental that the day I was supposed to meet Mother, she dies and my stocks fail. But I don't see how he could have done it..."

Her frown deepened and she bit her lip. She took an abrupt subject change. "Did Tamaki talk to you?"

"Yes. He said you called him." Kyoya scowled at her, both irritated with her contact with that idiot and the subject change when his business was in the middle of crisis. She was surprisingly distracting just by being there. With her talking it was nearly ten times harder to concentrate on making sure his company didn't get bought out from underneath him.

"I... did. But only because I was worried."

"Why were you worried?" He smirked at her as he picked his glasses up off the table and replaced them on his face.

"Kyoya. Your mother died today."

His typing faltered but then kept going at nearly twice the speed. He didn't even know what he was typing, just that he had to somehow use the noise of the clacking keys to block out her voice. "I already told you that I was fine. The death had minimal effect on me if any at all." He kept his voice level and emotionless as to not tick her off.

"Your voice says that but somehow I know that it's just your mind trying to trick your heart into thinking that." She changed subject back to his business again. "Have you asked Tamaki or anyone else for help?"

"I don't need help, dammit," he growled under his breath.

"I'm sure that Tamaki would be happy to help you fund KOMI until it can stand on its own two feet."

"Haruhi. I can do it myself."

She pursed her lips, slightly irritated with his refusals. "You wouldn't be acting like this if you were okay."

"You obviously don't know me as well as you thought then."

She sighed and turned on her heel. "If your stubbornness kills your company then you'll be the one to blame, Kyoya. Goodnight."

"Night."

"And by the way... If you need to talk, you know where I am."

~o~

His mind was exhausted and there was a lump in his throat. At four in the morning he was staring at his once more stable company on the computer screen. Only now that all things that would normally distract him were gone did he begin to think about his mother. He'd thought she was dead for 12 years and now she really was. What was he supposed to feel?

Angry. Hurt. Disbelieving. Upset.

Sad.

And he did. He felt all of that and more. Some kind of raw feeling was squashing every other thought that he had in his mind, leaving one fact there looming:

The last time he'd seen his mother alive had been when she left. And somehow, that wasn't good enough.

He slowly shut the lid of the laptop, feeling the unfamiliar aching of grief in his chest. The same aching that made him want to scream, cry, and punch something all at the same time. Why him? Why her? Why  _now_? Why would his father keep him from seeing the woman that had given birth to him, raised him? Why did it have to be this way? He closed his eyes and swallowed, picturing his mother's face in his mind, her slender form with her back turned away from him so he couldn't see the brown eyes that Fuyumi and Akito had inherited. That same face with muddled, dead eyes, staring-

He couldn't picture her dead even though he had thought her to be all these years. He pushed himself up out of his chair. He needed to do something, anything. Something to stop the pain in his chest.

A cello stood on a stand in one corner of the room gathering dust from years without being played. He strode over to it quickly, mindless of the fact that Haruhi and Ranka were probably sleeping. It was the only thing on hand that he could think of doing. The only thing around that would help him stop hurting.

He picked up the bow desperately and ran it across the strings, taking the neck in his hand. Rough, harsh notes came out, winding their way through his head, through the house. He sat in a nearby chair and pulled it across again sharply.

Again. And again. Until a melody formed with the notes he was angrily pumping out. He played for what felt like hours to him until a voice stopped him.

"Kyoya?"

He let the bow fall from the instrument to his side, leaving the piece unfinished. He didn't look at his roommate even as she strode across the room and gently put a hand on his shoulder. Staring at the ground, still feeling that hurt in his chest, he let the warmth of her hand seep into him.

"Kyoya?" she questioned again softly. He could feel her eyes on his face.

"What?" he half croaked, half snapped.

"Are you okay?"

He didn't answer. She drew closer to him, pulling a chair over to sit next to him, her knee brushing against his. His grip tightened on the neck of the cello, waiting for her to ask the inevitable. "Kyoya, look at me." His last line of defense was to avoid eye contact; to not look at her. "Kyoya." She sighed and seconds later he felt her fingers on his chin, pulling him to face her. They made eye contact and he saw her eyes glimmer with understanding. "I didn't know you played," she murmured finally. He breathed a bit in relief. No questions, no pushing. Not from Haruhi.

"Who else would it belong to?" he retorted weakly. After a few moments of silence he added softly, "My mother taught me when I was 6."

"She really was important to you, hmm?"

He just nodded, the pain becoming almost too much to bear. "I'm…" he stopped and shook his head before forcing himself to admit it. "I'm… not okay."

She frowned a little, her hand raising to stroke his hair in a way that reminded him of his mother. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, although he knew she knew.

"Mother's… dead." He paused for a moment just to breathe then added, "And… I think Father was behind it."

Her frown deepened. "What makes you think that now?"

"Because… The drop in my stocks was due to rapid selling of shares and them being rebought by a different organization. The same organization. I had to out buy them just to make sure that I remained CEO of KOMI."

"Who was it?"

"Akari Physiotherapy Industries. Otherwise known as my father's American puppet business. He's not CEO but he controls him."

"What's this have to do with your mother?"

"It started right around the time that she was killed, Haruhi. I also got witness accounts that say she was hit by a black car with tinted windows. It would be just like my father…" He trailed off, frustration starting to get the better of him.

She stared at him until he looked at her again. "Is that all?"

He shook his head. "It hurts." His voice was barely above a whisper, barely hearable at all but she managed to hear him.

"What hurts?"

He motioned to his chest and shut his eyes. Her fingers resumed stroking his hair, the pressure of her hand gently pushing his head to her shoulder. For once, he was the vulnerable person that he truly was behind his hard exterior and she respected that he could break down in front of her without feeling shame. "I want to see her," he muttered. "I do… If only to tell her that I don't blame her."

Haruhi sighed and let her head rest tiredly on top of his. It was almost like that sigh was what made him realize that he'd woken her. He'd woken her and kept her up. He drew away, feeling guilt now on top of everything else. "Kyoya?"

"I'm sorry… I woke you."

She shrugged. "It's fine. I was only half-asleep anyway."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you only half-asleep?"

She shook her head, not allowing herself to push any problems she was having on him. "It's nothing. Just couldn't sleep."

He looked at her with a frown on his face. Something about the tiredness and sadness around her eyes told him that she wasn't saying something. "Is it Tamaki?" he asked. The blonde tended to be the root of a lot of problems. Though normally, he heard about them from him. Haruhi rarely ever complained and she was very subtle about her relationship with the Suoh.

To his surprise, she nodded slowly. "Yeah… We… kind of… broke up, I guess."

"Kind of?" he pushed gently.

"Okay… We did. We broke up. And I was thinking about it. And that's why I couldn't sleep." Now she was the one avoiding eye contact.

"Are you upset?" Inside, his heart fluttered hopefully.

She seemed to think about that for a moment. "Not really, actually. I was the one that broke it off, so I'm not particularly upset since I'd been thinking about it for a while. I just… feel kind of bad doing that to him. He doesn't deserve to have his heart broken."

"And why'd you break it off?"

"I didn't want to have to say no when he proposed." He snorted comically. "No really," she insisted, "You  _know_ he was planning to do it soon. Even  _I_ could feel it and he was supposed to be keeping it a secret from me."

"What's so bad about marrying Tamaki that would make you want to avoid it?"

She shook her head and sighed, sitting back in her seat, her head tilting back and eyes shutting. "It's nothing about him… It's really completely my selfishness."

"Haruhi, you're one of the most selfless people I know," he said bluntly.

"Yes, yes. But that doesn't mean that I'm like that all the time. I can be quite selfish." He raised an eyebrow to which she huffed out a dramatic sigh and explained, "I couldn't imagine myself with him. At least not that long. I could not for the life of me imagine myself as a married woman with Tamaki. I love him, but… I just can't see myself married to him happily for the rest of my life. And it doesn't feel right somehow for my first relationship to be my only one. I want to have other experiences, not just ones filled with his joy and exuberance."

"Makes sense," he muttered, leaning back as well as she opened her eyes and turned her head toward him. "Your father must be pleased."

"I haven't told him yet."

"Why?"

"I don't want to deal with that right now."

He didn't press for more information. He'd pushed her enough as it was. He stayed silent, one question lingering in his head that he debated whether he had the guts to actually ask. He didn't let himself wonder too much about it, seeing as he was so tired that he could always blame anything he said right now on exhaustion. "If… If you can't imagine yourself with Tamaki… then who can you?"

She lifted her head, staring at him with a searching look. She didn't answer. There had to have been someone in particular on her mind when she broke up with Tamaki, otherwise she wouldn't have worried so much about it. The thought wouldn't have even crossed her mind if there wasn't someone else. He rephrased his question when she didn't answer after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. "Was there anyone else you could?"

She was silent for a single beat before answering, "Yes."

"Who?"

She shifted uncomfortably. It was possible it was Hikaru or Kaoru. But since she had previously rejected both of them for Tamaki, he didn't think that was likely. Plus Hikaru was now planning on proposing and Kaoru was going on his fourth year in a civil partnership. Mori had been married for 3 years. Hunny and Reiko were going on 9 years and still moving forward without even the idea of marriage popping into their minds.

Was it Arai? Kyoya hadn't kept tabs on him. But also hadn't seen him pop up in any of his tabs on Haruhi either.

Unless it was someone that hadn't gone to high school with them. Someone that he didn't know.

"Promise… Promise you won't be mad," she whispered finally, exhaustion seeping into his voice.

Mad? Why the hell wouldn't he be mad? He nodded just to humor her though, frowning as he brain raced to figure out who it was before she said it out loud.

"Kyoya," she mumbled, "I thought you would figure it out…" He narrowed his eyes slightly, not understanding. "It… It's you."

He blinked once.

Twice.

Turned his gaze away from her for a moment as he mind tried to comprehend what she had just said.

She had dumped Tamaki… For him…?

"What?"

She turned her head away shyly. "God, I'm stupid. Sorry. Forget I said anything." She started to stand and walk away. His brain kicked into high gear before she had even made it to the stairs, getting up and going after her. His hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to face him, his head ducking slightly to press his lips to hers. She started in surprise but eventually pulled her hand free to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing her body to his with a smile curling on her lips.

How many times had he dreamed of kissing Haruhi?

Millions.

And now he was. And the best part was that she was returning it just as eagerly. He pulled back when he needed to breathe, though he didn't really care much about breathing at that point. A long breathy laugh fell from his lips. "I… Didn't mean to make you… feel stupid. I just… Didn't imagine that… You'd dump  _Tamaki_ because you could imagine being with  _me_ more," he explained softly between gasped breaths.

"Am I the reason that you never let your father choose a wife for you?" He didn't expect her to make the connection so quickly, but she was always surprising him.

"Yes," he admitted, pressing his forehead against hers. His hand searched for one of hers, finding it and squeezing. "However, I also did not like being told who I should and shouldn't be with."

She laughed, her breath warm on his face. He prayed that this wasn't a dream, because he'd had similar ones several times before and had always woken up disappointed. He didn't want to feel that disappointment. Not now. Not again. Her free hand rested on his cheek. "Are you going to be okay? About your mother, I mean."

"I think so," he replied promptly. And honestly, right now the euphoria in his chest was very much overriding the sadness of losing his mother. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

"I think so," she said with a smile. "Though now… I don't really want to."

"Well, I'm exhausted."

"Go to bed."

"Was thinking about it, actually."

"Good. Go. I'll see you in the morning." Her hand squeezed his, her lips meeting his quickly before she ran up the steps toward their respective bedrooms. He followed her slowly, a smile still worming it's way onto his face.

Yes, he'd sleep  _quite_ well now.

~o~

_3 years later…_

"Why do you love me?" she asked, her tone torn between desperation and mocking.

"How can you even ask that?" he demanded. She turned her eyes from him immediately. "Haruhi, look at me." His fingers gripped her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. "I love you because of here, here, and here," he stated, his fingers gently poking her chest, head, and ears.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Are you having some kind of identity crisis or something?" he growled angrily.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I just need to know  _why_ you love me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not sure if I made the right decision three years ago!"

He stopped, staring at her, feeling a piece of his heart begin to crack. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… I don't think it's possible for you to love anyone. And thinking back, I think it was silly for me to think that you ever could. Marrying you might be a big mistake."

"Haruhi…" That hurt him more than he would ever say. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're the  _only_ woman I've ever loved. You realize that?" She looked away from him again. "No. Don't look away. Look at me while I'm telling you this because you wanted to know." She sighed, looking annoyed or regretful for even asking. Eventually, her eyes turned toward him again though. "You want to know why I love you? Because you once told me to open my ears and listen to you, so I did. And that has never steered me wrong. You also have never failed to listen to me when I've done something wrong or needed to talk through something. You listen extremely well, which I'm trying to do more.

"Because your brilliant mind never fails to amaze me. You can think of solutions to problems that I would never even think of. I can bounce anything off of you and know that I'll get an intelligent reply. It's also because of your brilliance that I can manage to talk to you without feeling like I'm talking to a breadstick.

"Because you have the biggest heart of anyone that I know. You're willing to help  _anyone_ , including me when I most need it. You care for me when I don't even know that I need it. Haruhi, you love me when I think that no one else will.

" _That_ is why I love you."

She let her gaze break away from his. Her neck turning red in shame. "I'm sorry," she murmured. He shook his head, kissing her quickly.

"I am not nearly as attentive as I should be," he said softly, embracing her. " _I_ am sorry and I promise to do better in the future, okay?" She nodded, pressing her face into his shoulder. "Now… In a few weeks, we'll be getting married. Can you still imagine being married to me?" His heart fluttered with a secret fear that she'd say no. Because he  _knew_ that he would never be able to imagine himself with anyone but her.

"Of course I can," she whispered. "I'm stupid for ever bringing this up. I just wanted some reason to doubt you."

"Haruhi, are you afraid of getting married?" he asked because she had told him once that she had broken up with Tamaki because she didn't want to be married to him. She shrugged, which he read as a simple yes. "We don't have to. It wouldn't be any different than what we have right now. We'd just have the legal recognition of it. Hunny and Reiko went 10 years without even thinking about marriage."

"No," she mumbled, "No. I want to get married. I do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then Soon-to-be Haruhi Okawari, what would you say to having a memorial seat for each of our mothers' at the wedding?" She smiled, becoming the image of perfection in his eyes.

"I think that would be perfect."

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoy musing over different reasons why we never see Kyoya's mother in the series besides I think a VERY brief glance. Pretty much every single of my stories has a different scenario but mostly I just hold to the idea that she either died or left. Perhaps I'm trying to figure out why Yoshio is such a hardass?? I don't really know. Anyway. That's why here she leaves and then she dies. 
> 
> I think this is the longest actual one-shot that I've ever written to date. Wowee.


End file.
